Switch control mechanism



June 4, 1968 M. KLINGLER SWITCH CONTROL MECHANISM- Filed May 11, 1966United States Patent 3,386,298 SWITCH CONTROL MECHANISM Martin LutherKlingler, Hershey, Pa., assignor to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa.Filed May 11, 1966, Ser. No. 549,335 7 Claims. (Cl. 74-122) Thisinvention relates to a switch control mechanism for electrically driventools or presses of the type in which an electric motor is utilized tooscillate a pair of circular ratchets or clutches in out-of-phaserelationship.

The copending application of Martin L. Klingler, Ser. No. 380,398, filedJuly 2, 1964, now abandoned, discloses and claims an electricallyoperated tool comprising a pair of circular ratchets or clutches inside-by-side relationship. The outer races of these clutches haveradially extending arms on which followers or rollers are mounted, theserollers being engaged by a swash plate to cause out-of-phase oscillationof the outer races. The inner races are thus rotated about a common axisin stepwise fashion at a speed which is substantially less than thespeed of rotation of the swash plate. A pin or the like is eccentricallymounted in this axis and revolves thereabout when the inner races arerotated. A motion transmitting means is utilized to translate themovement of this pin along a circular path to rectilinear movement of areciprocal ram or the like. A similar tool is disclosed and claimed inapplication Ser. No. 549,292, filed May 11, 1966, by Martin LutherKlingler, this application being a continuation-in-part of applicationSer. No. 380,398.

Tools and presses of the type disclosed in the aboveidentified Klinglerapplications will often have a relatively small high-speed motor with arelatively slow moving pin to drive the reciprocal ram. Such tools arethus capable of utilizing a small high-speed motor to develop arelatively high compressing force for crimping terminals or performingsimilar operations. It is desirable to provide a means to bring themotor up to its operating speed before imposing the load, in otherwords, before engaging the rollers with the rotating swash plate whichis driven by the motor. The present invention is generally directed tothe provision of an improved control mechanism which accomplishes thisresult of permitting the motor to attain its operating speed beforeimposition of the load.

The objects of the invention are achieved in one preferred embodiment inwhich the motor is energized by a switch and the rollers or followers onthe outer races of the clutches are biased against the swash plate by aspring or other suitable resilient means. A trigger or starter button isarranged such that when it is pressed or squeezed, the switch is firstclosed to start the motor and permit it to attain its operating speed.Further squeezing of the trigger or depression of the button has theeffect of stretching or elon ating the springs which bias the rollersagainst the swash plate. When these springs are stretched and therollers are pulled against the swash plate, the outer races areoscillated as explained above and the drive pin commences its movementalong a circular path around the axis of rotation of the inner races.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side view with parts broken away of a preferred form ofelectrically driven hand tool incorporating a starting mechanism inaccordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the starting mechanism; and

FIGURE 3 is a view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

In the description which follows, the structural features of the toolare described only to the extent necessary for an understanding of thepresent invention which relates to "ice the starting mechanism.Reference is made to the aboveidentified application Ser. No. 380,398and Ser. No. 549,- 292 for a more complete description of the structuralfeatures of the tool.

A tool 2 in accordance with the general teachings of application Ser.No. 380,398 comprises a handle 4, spaced apart frame plates (one ofwhich is shown at 10) and a motor 6 horizontally mounted on the upperside of the handle. A swash plate 8 is mounted on the end of the shaftof the motor for engagement with rollers 26 described below. A C-shapedhead 12 is mounted between the frame plates 10 in any suitable manner,for example, in the manner shown in application Ser. No. 532,393, filedMar. 7, 1966, by Martin Luther Klingler, and a fixed crimping anvil ismounted against one arm of this head. A movable crimping die 16 ismounted on the end of a reciprocable ram 18 for cooperation with theanvil to crimp electrical terminals during the operating cycle asdescribed below. The ram 18 is guided in suitable guide ways containedin the head for movement towards and away from the anvil.

The driving mechanism for the ram comprises a pair of circular ratchetsor clutches having circular elements or outer races 20 from which extendradial arms 24. The rollers 26 are mounted on the ends of these armsadjacent to the swash plate 8 so that these outer races will beoscillated in out-of-phase relationship during rotation of the motorshaft. The outer races are mounted on a com mon inner race 28, springbiased detents 29 being effective between the outer races and the innerrace to cause the inner race to be rotated stepwise about the commonaxis of the two clutches when the outer races are oscillated by theswash plate. Drive pins 30 extend from the sides of the inner race andare eccentrically disposed with respect thereto. These drive pins areconnected by links 32 to a common pivot pin 34 forming the knee of atoggle mechanism 36, 38. The link 36 of this toggle is pivoted betweenthe frame plates at 37 while the links 38 are pivotally connected to theend of the ram 18. It will thus be apparent that during movement of thepins 36 along a circular path, the toggle will be straightened and laterbroken to drive the die 16 towards and away from the anvil 14.

The thrust developed by the ram to crimp a terminal (or perform anysimilar operation) may be quite high and the motor 6 should be of thesmallest size possible to preserve the portability and compactness ofthe tool. Ordinarily, this motor will be a relatively high-speed lowtorque motor and the motion translating mechanism comprising theclutches and the toggle is effective to utilize its developed power forthe crimping operation which re quires a high force. The motor should bepermitted to attain its full operating speed before a load is imposed, aresult which is achieved by the starting and trigger mechanism of FIGURE2 which will now be described.

The motor is energized by a small switch 46 contained in the handle andincluding a switch button 42. This button can be depressed to close theswitch by a spring arm 44 mounted on the switch housing and extendinggenerally upwardly in FIGURE 1. The trigger of the disclosed embodiment46 is generally channel-shaped and is pivotally mounted on its upper endon a pin 48 extending between the side plates. Advantageously, a plasticcover or shield 50 is mounted on the trigger to increase operatorcomfort and convenience. A pin 52 extends between the sides of thetrigger at its lower end and a rod 54 has its one end hooked over thispin as shown in 56. This rod extends rearwardly through an opening inthe upper end of the spring arm 44 and has a collar 58 mounted thereonintermediate its ends. A coil spring 61 is interposed between thiscollar and this spring arm 44 so that if the trigger is swung in acounterclockwise direction from the position of FIGURE 1, the spring arm44 will be flexed rightwardly to close the button 42. The rod can movefurther rightwardly after this button is closed as will be explainedbelow during engagement of the followers 26 with the swash plate.

A channel-shaped plate at is mounted in the upper portion in the handleof the frame plate 10 on a pivot pin 4. A pair of springs 66, 68 arehooked to the rearward or right-hand end of this plate and extendupwardly and are hooked to ears integral with and extending from theouter races 26 of the two clutches. When the parts are in their normalpositions, the rollers 2-5 will be biased against the surface of theswash plate but will not be held against this surface with suflicientforce to cause movement of the inner races of the clutches. If, however,the plate is swung in a clockwise direction of its position of FiGURE l,the outer races will be pulled relatively downwardly and the followerswill be held against the surface of the swash plate with a degree offorce such that the inner race of the clutches will be moved or retatedabout the common axis of the two clutches.

At its forward end, the plate 69 is provided with a pair of elongatedslots 72 in its sides through which a pin 74 extends. A link 76 ismounted on this pin 72 at one end and is mounted on the pin 52 in thetrigger at its other end. The link extends generally diagonally withrespect to the plate 60 so that depression of the trig er will cause theplate 6%) to swing in a clockwise direction with respect to the pin 64.

In use, the operator will merely squeeze the trigger to energize themotor and to engage the rollers 26 of the clutches with the swash plate.However, this action takes place in two distinct steps. During the firststep, and during initial rightward movement or counterclockwise movementof the trigger, the rod 54 is moved rightwardly flexing the spring 44and closing the switch button 42. Very little movement is required toclose this switch button since the switch is quite small. During thisportion of the cycle, the pin 74 moves relatively rightwardly to thelimit of its permitted travel in the slots 72 and the plate 60 thusremains stationary. During this brief interval, the motor is energizedbut is not loaded so that it is permitted to attain its maximum oroperating speed. In the second stage of the starting operation,continued squeezing of the trigger results in clockwise movement of theplate 60 with respect to the pivotal axis 4 and the springs 66, 68 arepulled downwardly from the position of FIGURE 1. These springs, in turn,bias the outer races relatively downwardly and the rollers are heldagainst the face of the swash plate with a degree of firmness such thatthe inner races are moved stepwise about the common axis. So long as thetrigger is held in its fully depressed condition, the pins 30 willcontinue to move in a circular path and the ram 18 will be reciprocated.It will be apparent that the springs 66, '68 will be stretched slightlyduring oscillation of the outer races and will be always biased againstthe surface of the swash plate.

The overall advantage of the starting and trigger mechanism describedabove is that a small high-speed motor 6 can be used in the toolalthough a relatively high thrust or force is developed in the ram forthe reason that the load is not imposed on the motor until is attainsits operating speed. An additional advantage is that the crimpingoperation can be stopped if desired at any time by merely releasing thetrigger and can be started again by again squeezing the trigger. Thisfeature is desirable in the crimping of certain types of terminals inthat the terminal can be manually held between the die and anvil and thetrigger squeezed until the die moves rightwardly to the point where itlightly holds the terminal against the anvil. Tht operator then has afree hand (since he need not hold the terminal) and can insert the wireinto the terminal barrel for the crimping operation. Changes inconstruction will occur to those skilled in the art and variousapparently different modifications and embodiments may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. The matter set forth in theforegoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way ofillustration only. The actual scope of the invention is intended to bedefined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspectiveagainst the prior art.

I claim:

1. In a motion transmitting means comprising a pair of circular ratchetsin side-by-side relationship on a common axis, each ratchet comprisingfirst and second circular elements, each ratchet having means effectivebetween its first and second element permitting said first element torotate around said axis in either direction and permitting said secondelements to rotate in unison in only one direction with either of saidfirst elements while preventing rotation of said second elements in theopposite direction, camming means for oscillating said first elements inoutof-phasc relationship, engaging means for engaging said camming meanswith said first elements, electric motor means for actuating saidcamming means, switch means for said motor means, and starting meanseffective to initially close said switch means and subsequently actuatesaid engaging means whereby, during starting, said motor means ispermitted to attain its operating speed before engagement of said firstelements with said camming means.

2. In a motion transmitting means comprising a pair of circular ratchetsin side-by-side relationship on a common axis, each ratchet comprisinginner race means and outer race means, said inner race means of saidratchets being rotatable in unison and said outer race means beingoscillatable independently, camming means for oscillating said outerrace means in out-of-phase relationship, engaging means for engagingsaid outer race means with said camming means, electric motor means foractuating said camming means, switch means for said mot-or means, andstarting means effective to initially close said switch means andsubsequently actuate said engaging means whereby during starting, saidmotor means is permitted to attain its operating speed before engagementof said outer race means and said camming means.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said camming means comprisesa swash plate, said outer race means having follower means forengagement with said swash plate, said engaging means comprisingresilient means for biasing said follower means into engagement withsaid swash plate.

4. A device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said starting meanscomprises trigger means concatenated with said switch means and saidengaging means and effective, upon squeezing thereof, to first closesaid switch means and subsequently actuate said engaging means.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 wherein said engaging meanscomprises resilient means for biasing said follower means intoengagement with said switch means.

6. In a motion transmitting means comprising, a pair of clutches inside-by-side relationship, each of said clutches comprising first andsecond circular elements, said elements being disposed on a common axis,each clutch having means effective between its first and second elementpermitting said first element to rotate around said axis in eitherdirection and permitting said second element to rotate in only onedirection with said first element while preventing rotation of saidsecond element in the opposite direction, a swash plate mounted forrotation on an axis extending transversely of said common axis, followermeans on each of said first elements normally disposed adjacent to, andengageable with, said swash plate, a motor for rotating said swashplate, switch means for energizing said motor, resilient means formoving each of said first elements through a minor arc in said oppositedirection and against said swash plate, and trigger means concatenatedwith said switch means and resilient means and eflective, upon squeezingthereof, to first close said switch means and energize said motor and tosubsequently actuate said resilient means to move said follower meansagainst said swash plate whereby, said motor is first started andreaches an operating speed and said followers are engaged with saidswash plate when said swash plate is rotating, and said first elementsare oscillated by said swash plate and said second elements are rotatedin said one direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1947 Chandler 74-118 5/1950Boylan 74-112 MILTON KAUFMAN, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A MOTION TRANSMITTING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF CIRCULAR RATCHETSIN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP ON A COMMON AXIS, EACH RATCHET COMPRISINGFIRST AND SECOND CIRCULAR ELEMENTS, EACH RATCHET HAVING MEANS EFFECTIVEBETWEEN ITS FIRST AND SECOND ELEMENT PERMITTING SAID FIRST ELEMENT TOROTATE AROUND SAID AXIS IN EITHER DIRECTION AND PERMITTING SAID SECONDELEMENTS TO ROTATE IN UNISON IN ONLY ONE DIRECTION WITH EITHER OF SAIDFIRST ELEMENTS WHILE PREVENTING ROTATION OF SAID SECOND ELEMENTS IN THEOPPOSITE DIRECTION, CAMMING MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID FIRST ELEMENTS INOUTOF-PHASE RELATIONSHIP, ENGAGING MEANS FOR ENGAGING SAID CAMMING MEANSWITH SAID FIRST ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC MOTOR MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAIDCAMMING MEANS, SWITCH MEANS FOR SAID MOTOR MEANS, AND STARTING MEANSEFFECTIVE TO INITIALLY CLOSE SAID SWITCH MEANS AND SUBSEQUENTLY ACTUATESAID ENGAGING MEANS WHEREBY, DURING STARTING, SAID MOTOR MEANS ISPERMITTED TO ATTAIN ITS OPERATING SPEED BEFORE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID FIRSTELEMENTS WITH SAID CAMMING MEANS.